


Sometimes Actions Speak Louder Than Words

by J_Free



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 11:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/912780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Free/pseuds/J_Free
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin Free was born mute. Michael Jones thought his life was absolutely perfect, but Gavin has this way of settling himself in like he was always there. Michael may or may not be absolutely in love with Gavin but sometimes actions speak louder than words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sometimes Actions Speak Louder Than Words

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Mavin fic and I'm really nervous about posting it where anyone can read it ah, please be gentle with me. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it!

Gavin was the type of person who blew in like a tornado and settled himself right into your life; at least that's how it seemed to Michael. His whole life had been fairly organised, it was neat and settled in a routine he was quite happy with. He'd been working at Rooster Teeth for two weeks, two whole weeks of quiet, enjoyable moments with his coworkers. Then Gavin came home. He'd been warned about Gavin, that the guy was surprisingly loud, considering. However nobody bothered to tell him that Gavin was loud in a way that didn't involve his voice. The man was all big grins and elaborate hand gestures that caught Michael off guard. He stood there dumbly as Gavin waved his hands at him, still grinning widely. He wished that they would have told him that the “considering” meant Gavin was mute, that he was the loudest fucking mute person Michael had ever met.  


He tapped his foot impatiently as Michael continued to stare at him dumbly, slowing down his wild gestures enough for Michael to pick out that he was signing. He looked over at his shoulder, pleading silently with Jack to get his help. Jack just laughed quietly and stood, clapping Michael on the shoulder. “He says hey. That you must be the new guy and his name is Gavin. Chill out on the quick signing man, the kid doesn't understand you.” he said, and Gavin just huffed, a silent little breathy noise. “Oh. Uh yeah, fuck. I'm Michael.” Gavin stuck out a hand, still grinning and Michael shook it hesitantly. The other's hand was much softer than his own work-weathered one and he gave Gavin a small grin despite himself. Sometimes Gavin had to be reminded that not everyone had the experience that many of the others had with his condition, but he had a feeling that Michael would be a good friend.

Despite being mute, Gavin was one of the loudest people he knew. He was expressive and moved a lot during the day, flitting amongst most of the offices before settling into his desk beside Michael. Somewhere along the way, Michael had begun to learn how to decipher what Gavin was saying, he'd learned what his dumb, exaggerated hand signs meant and was often there to pick up on what the others were missing. Because somehow Michael found himself noticing things about Gavin that he didn't even really notice about himself. Like the way that Gavin's tongue poked out just slightly, caught between his teeth as he focused on signing something serious. He noticed the way Gavin laughed in a breathy sort of way, doubling over usually after he'd done something mischievous to one of the other various employees in the company. It made him chuckle more often than not. Michael would have never expected that he might be falling in love with the boy.  


The others were quick to notice that Michael had begun to understand Gavin much quicker than they themselves had, despite still being in the middle of studying sign language. They'd seen the two laughing quietly at lunch together and Michael definitely did sit a little closer to Gavin than was probably necessary during videos together. They did more rage quits together, which amused the fans to see. They simply ate up all the moments the two were on screen together, Gavin laughing that stupid, breathy little laugh of his and Michael yelling insults at him for messing up their game. They even picked up on little things that Michael himself never noticed. The way his insults lacked a certain level of malice or the way he'd sign back the stupid little gesture Gavin had made up for their “team”. He still hated Gavin sometimes, he found him to be annoying beyond belief and definitely a huge prick, but they were friends. Michael didn't notice the way that Gavin's eyes would linger on him when he would laugh, or the fact that when Gavin said goodbye, he always signed a short little sign that meant 'I love you'.  


It hit him nearly three months later that he might be falling for Gavin. That he'd never seen Gavin sign that little extra bit to his goodbye to anyone else. Michael found himself; at three AM, sitting on his bed flipping through the sign language “dictionary” he'd bought to help himself learn to speak with Gavin. It took him even longer to find the sign he was looking for, cursing and grumbling with each page. His temper was getting even shorter every time he missed the one he was looking for. Everything he tried looking at didn't fit or it was completely different from the sign Gavin always left him with. His heart nearly stopped when he reached the one he was looking for, and Michael had to re-read the words beside it more than once. He mouthed the words that he read beside the sign and his heart felt like it was wedged in his throat and still beating there. That dumb British asshole was going to be the death of him. He barely slept the rest of the night, and by the time he drug himself into work the next day, he looked like hell. Gavin met him at the door with a smile that soon dropped into one of concern at his appearance. Michael just waved a hand at him, grumbling just slightly as he tangled a hand in his curly hair. He mumbled something about coffee before slipping away from his friend. His chest felt like someone was pushing on it, his heart feeling constricted as he considered that Gavin may care about him in a way that was more than friendly.  


He leaned against the counter in the kitchen, hands pressing against his eyes when Ray came in. “Woah, you look like shit dude. You feeling okay?” he asked. Michael dropped a hand and fixed him with a look that very clearly said it was a dumb question. “Didn't sleep much last night.” Michael mumbles, turning to lean half over the counter, fingers curling around a mug of coffee. Ray leans near him, sipping at his own with a thoughtful noise. “Wanna talk about it?” Michael breathes out, his whole body feeling exhausted and he stretches, fingers tapping an idle beat against the mug. “Have you ever seen Gavin sign this weird little thing to me at the end of his goodbye?” Ray is quiet for a moment, tapping his own fingers against his mug before nodding. “Yeah, I think I've seen him do it once or twice.” Ray noticed, he wasn't as unobservant as people seemed to think. He noticed when Gavin began falling for Michael, he noticed when Michael's looks would soften and his words would lack the venom they previously held. He also noticed exactly when Michael realised he was absolutely in love with Gavin. It wasn't hard to notice the last one truth be told, since he looked like shit in only the way that those who were head over heels did.  


“It uh. Fuck dude, do you know what it means?” Ray snorted softly, of course he did, he caught on faster than anyone else did apparently. “No. What's it mean?” might as well let Michael get it all out before they get to work. Michael sucked in a breath and rubbed a hand against his face. “It means I love you.” Ray just smirked slightly and tapped his fingers again “Well I mean it's probably true. You can't tell me you've completely missed the way he is around you.” Michael stared at the counter, grimacing slightly as he attempted to rend some answers from the smooth counter top beneath his arms. “Noticed what?” Ray rolled his eyes and finished his coffee, standing to place the cup in the sink. “Geoff's right, you're both morons. Basically you're both in the same boat. C'mon back to work.” As much as he loved his best friend, Michael was a fucking moron when it came to anyone's feelings; even his own. Michael groaned and followed Ray back to the Achievement Hunter room, he still looked like shit but he felt a little better thanks to the coffee.  


Gavin gave him a tentative smile and Michael actually returned it this time, setting his coffee down and offering him a wave. Michael contemplated for just a moment before he signed the short little one he'd learned to Gavin. It was worth it to see the flush that worked it's way up his neck and onto his face. He ignored the knowing smirk Ray shot him and went back to editing the video he was supposed to be working on. Maybe he was a little in love with Gavin. They worked together throughout the day and Michael felt a bit guilty at the way he was ignoring the little looks Gavin gave him. With his slight realisation of his feelings for Gavin, his whole body was alight with nerves. He was hyper aware of everything Gavin did during the day, the way that he spent a lot of time much closer to Michael. When lunch came around, Michael found himself drug out alongside Gavin by Ray. “Okay listen. We're gonna go to lunch and you two are gonna talk and eat. Got it?” Michael grumbled and tried to pull away from Ray but he was surprisingly strong for as thin as he was. “Fine whatever, but holy fuck would you let me walk on my own?”  


Ray stared at him, trying to discern if Michael was going to fight him, but when he realised the other wasn't, he let his arm go. Gavin was signing quickly at Ray who signed a few short ones. He huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms, mouth shut with a click. Ray seemed pleased enough as he lead the two of them from the building. They walked over to a nearby restaurant and Ray forced the two of them to sit together after ordering before he slipped off to do who knows what. Michael kicked his foot slightly so it scuffed against the floor, grimacing. “So uh.” Gavin's head snapped up, his gaze moving to Michael as he spoke. “We should talk shouldn't we?” Gavin nodded slowly, hands coming from under the table. His hands shook in a nervous way that Michael hadn't seen in the time he knew Gavin and he frowned. “Hey, it's okay. No need to be nervous or something man. I uh, I guess I want to ask about the sign you always give me. The one that means er. Well. I love you.” Michael tugged a hand through his curls, looking at Gavin with a slightly nervous expression. Gavin flushed a bit, rubbing at the back of his neck.  


He raised his hands and signed slowly, nervously. _'You figured that out eh? Bollocks, I thought it'd take you a bit longer to figure what it meant.'_ Michael shook his head, laughing quietly. “Gee, sure don't have a whole lot of faith in me do you? I'm hurt.”He put his hand to his chest, giving him a look of mock hurt and Gavin laughed quietly, shoulders shaking a bit. _'Of course I do you doughnut, I just didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly. I thought I'd made it hard to pick up on.'_ Michael snorted as Ray came back with their food. The smell hit him almost instantly and Michael's stomach growled, reminding him he was apparently really hungry. “So, did you fuckers figure yourself out?” Ray set the tray down and nudged Michael over so he could sit beside him. Michael grumbled in annoyance but he scooted over, fingers twitching against the table slightly. “Well y'know. Not really.” Ray rolled his eyes and shoved a few fries into his mouth. Michael picked at his own fries, burger held loosely in his other hand.  


“Just fuck and get it over with, Jesus.” Gavin gave a strangled noise and signed something rapidly at Ray. He just snorted and rolled his eyes before shrugging. “It's true dude. You two are obviously in love with each other. It's like a shitty dance with two drunken assholes.” Michael groaned a bit and rubbed the heels of his hand against his eyes until stars danced behind them. Gavin looked at him though, face lit up with a hopeful little smile and Michael sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Listen Gav.” He felt fidgety, his toes tapping lightly against the floor and he could feel Gavin's leg bouncing similarly. For the first time in his life he felt a level of nervousness that he hadn't had in a while and he sighed a bit. Gavin's eyes flipped to him, green focusing sharply on Michael as he fidgeted in his seat.  


Michael was good with words normally, while his vocabulary usually contained swearing and anger, when it came to feelings he was the worst. Gavin was his boy though, his friend, so why was it so awkward to admit he might be in love here? _'Yes Michael? What is it?'_ Even Ray was watching him attentively, waiting to hear what he was going to say. It felt like everyone in the room was paying attention to what he was going to say. He breathed in deeply, ears flushed red with nerves. “Fuck it. I don't know if I'm ready to say it because I'm a dumb shithead and all, but I like you. You're annoying as fuck and you're a real prick sometimes, but you're my boy and that's all I need to know. Let's have dinner and maybe figure this out when Ray isn't here watching like a fucking chaperone.” Michael didn't even have to be looking at Gavin to know the boy was beaming like the sun. He could feel the excitement and energy coming off him in waves. He looked up at him and he couldn't help but grin a little as well. _'Of course Michael!'_ Ray muttered 'finally' under his breath and snorted when Michael punched him, but he didn't regret forcing his two friends into talking. Maybe the sexual tension in the office would lessen (yeah right). Ray snickered softly and leaned back slightly, going back to eat. Michael felt tension slip from his shoulders and he was able to finally focus on his lunch.  


Three months went by, three months of blissful, wonderful dating. Michael finally admitted he might definitely be in love with Gavin and they actually properly announced their relationship status; which was not a surprise to anyone in the office. Michael knew Gavin's body better than he knew his own. He knew what would make Gavin suck in a breath, hips arching off the bed as he curled his fingers in Michael's hair. He knew Gavin more intimately than he knew anyone else. He knew what Gavin was thinking when he signed something casually, he knew those hands as they signed at their sleepiest and most excited. Michael wasn't sure how, but somehow he just knew Gavin. He knew Gavin and he loved him so very much. Gavin loved Michael too, more than he ever thought he would. They were different in so many ways but were so absolutely perfect together and even though he'd never admit it, Michael was grateful to Ray for forcing them to talk.


End file.
